Hi all
All good here and 'looking forward' to my op on thurs, in at 7.15 which given I haven't managed to get my lazy ar5e out of bed before 8 may prove to be a challenge. My pal who's playing nurse will have to drag me out of bed -by my good arm of course!
Other than that have my last free reflexology thing tomorrow and my zolodex injection Weds. Thankfully managed to get the wire insertion needed to locate the missing marker (yes they found it following the mammogram!) planned for the morning of thurs. Re this I did ask what happens if yet again the marker fails to be removed...apparently it's very rare to miss it once, not filled with confidence...and makes me think that it would have been far easier for them to remove the LHS one too as I wanted!!

CT scan was fine - no naughty stuff elsewhere (poor Adrian was so relieved, I fully expected these results).

Been having lots of visitors which has been great - get them to do all the lifting & shifting, and the worst chore of all...peeling & cubing butternut squash!  Why is it sooo tough yet sooo tasty??  Even went into London at weekend, I was hoping that the coronavirus might make the tubes less packed...not so, and doesn't even seem to have made people stop openly coughing (no surprise there really, sadly).

Can't believe how tired I still am and how little I manage to achieve on a daily basis...I do wonder how I'll ever manage to actually work a full day (and manage to get there on time as currently takes me at least 2 hours to get ready to go out and am not really sure why).

Christine - am glad things are progressing on the knee front in terms of clarification of issue, bone on bone sounds lovely! But another op so soon...arrgghh! Laser treatment for lymphodema eh?  Hope it sorts it out.  I still have my (sore rather than painful I think) seroma so know how annoying these swellings are so do hope yours clears off soon).

Yeah getting old is soooo much fun health wise but I do look forward to being an extremely cantankerous old(er) lady shouting at kids and driving even more annoyingly...there are benefits as long as your attitude is right!

I'm doing fine on the Letrazole, the only things that could be a side effect are an inconsistent bad back only on arising from my pit on a morning and starting off really stiffly leg-wise (the cats & I have stretches on a morning now at the same time) too but nothing to shout about, which is nice.

Caroline - Tunbridge Wells & prosecco sounds like a jolly good recipe, am still saving my start of alcohol reintroduction for an occasion...not sure why but am quite enjoying the martyrdom of not drinking.

Glad to hear you're all doing well.  Rock on Thurs!

Sam X
 

Hi girls, 

You are all too young to be called ladies, so from now on you're my girls!

Caroline, I think (hope) I might get away with less than six weeks without driving, if I have the knee op because it's my left knee and I drive an automatic, so no real reason to stop me. I will go absolutely stir crazy if that did happen.  I would really struggle because I live two miles from the nearest shop of any kind and five miles from the nearest supermarkets any direction, so couldn't really walk to the shops either.

Sam, good luck for Thursday, and expect to feel tired for a little while yet. I actually feel more like my old self now, but I think I might milk it for a while yet, as I used to do my daughter's cleaning for her, and she would love me to start again when I feel up to it  -  although she has said I can retire if I want to.  She has ME, so poor girl is always tired and in pain, yet manages to keep working in a very responsible and stressful job.   

I have just been given an appointment for the ultrasound guided drainage of my seroma, it's on 25th of this month, which is much earlier than expected.  Apart from that one, I have no other cancer related appointments this month! Yay!!  The last two times I had to go to the hospital I managed to get in and out in time to avoid parking fees!

I am still struggling to get a likeness for the lady in my portrait, I got her last week then realised the eyes were out of alignment and I was so miffed I scraped off her whole face instead of just the wonky eye.  I started from scratch and measured every bit of her face so I didn't make the same mistake twice and I am now ready to do the eyes again but must wait for the paint to dry or I could smudge bits that are ok now.  If she had an ugly old wizened face it would be a doddle but even at 78 she is really pretty so I want to do her justice.

Rock on, girls!

Christine xx

Hi Sam,

Just wanted to wish you good luck for tomorrow!! Make sure you let us know how you are afterwards.

Caroline xx

Hi Sam,

Good to hear from you!! Sorry to hear that this op has been more painful!! Do you have a drain fitted and have they been able to tell you if your lymph nodes were clear or not, or do you have to wait for the results? Lovely to hear that your friends have been taking care of you and even the cat realising that you need the pillow more! Make sure you do lots of pjs and resting!!! 
This cv is making life very unpredictable at the moment, isn't it. I work with people who are in the at risk group so completely understand why we need to put plans in place but it's just not knowing everyday, what the plan is!! Not sure I'll get my holiday in April!!! Got my 6 month check up on the 2nd so hopefully that will still be going ahead, unless I hear otherwise. 
Loving that spring is now looking like it has arrived - just waiting for the rain to stop so everywhere isn't so muddy when I take the dog out!! 
Christine - will you be housebound if they say over 70's to stay in? Will you be ok??

Take care ladies xx

Hi Girls,

Glad to hear you are up and running again, Sam. I remember that the lymph node surgery was more painful than the mastectomy but it only took a couple of weeks to settle, then a bit longer for the weird sensations in the underarm area to lessen. I was still driving in three weeks. I had quite a seroma after my mastectomy which disappeared after the next op because of the drain. As you know it reappeared as soon as the drain was removed, I hope yours disappears without further intervention. I'm hoping the Cv doesn't mean my ultrasaound scan to partially drain it gets cancelled.  I'm under orders from my daughter to check beforehand just in case, although I'm sure they will let me know if I don't have to go. I already cancelled my gym class as being non essential. 
I've just had my brother on the phone warning me to be careful about the CV. He's told me to order groceries on line and not to go shopping. He's only a couple of years older than my kids so feels obliged to tell the old lady the obvious. My daughter has been the same. I wouldn't care but I am very much a stay at home, apart from the odd outing with my friends I like my own company. A discussion with some of my neighbours the other day was about coping with having to self isolate and I realised, then, that it wouldn't bother me too much, I've got more ebooks than I will ever read even if I lived to 90, and when I get stuck into a painting hours go by without me even lifting my eyes from the canvas. As long as I have food and coffee I'll be fine. My daughter and I were laughing at the thought of her dropping Smudge off at the garden gate as she goes off to work, then we realised that if they shut the schools she'll be working from home, anyway!
I'm a bit worried that the Andre Rieu concert will be cancelled, though. Caroline, I think you might lose your holiday. My brother just told me that his ex wife is in Tenerife at the moment with her partner and her flight home might be cancelled. Now that would be my worst nightmare - to be stuck away from home!

Stay safe, girls

xxx

Hi again, just a quickie - the equivalent of shouting from the rooftops,  I have found my lady's likeness. I showed the painting to my daughter tonight and she said "That's her!  They will be really pleased with that,". Coming from the most eagle eyed and honest person I know, that is an accolade!  
 

That's it, just wanted to brag!!!

Cx

Whoop whoop!! Well done!! Shame we can't see your wonderful work!!! Xx

Hi

Ta for messages, as always, all good here though seroma is still bigger & better than ever..yay! And am sure (though maybe the fluid from is has started to infiltrate my brian?) its growing around my back...soon I feel that I will be totally encased in a fluid filled sack - all bodysnatcher like...vivid imagination, me??

Caroline

No drain this time which may account for the earlier & larger seroma possibly but am glad not to have the discomfort and also not to have to go on the train to have it removed - and to avoid the removal as well!  So many good reasons.

I've a meeting on 25th where will find out number of nodes removed, amount that are naughty etc....after all this it had better be a big proportion!  If I find out the rest are clear there will be trouble!

Yeah this cv thing is very interesting isn't it?  I think (and hope) its the closest I'll ever get to a very vague feeling of what it was like in the war (I've issued my cats with ration books already) also saw a really interesting documentary on the Spanish flu...that puts our current predicament into context!

I should be being careful and sort of am but its not going to stop me getting out & about, it would do if I was ill though, have little worries about getting cv but wouldn't want to pass it on.

Sorry you may not (and to be fair probably won't - sorry!) get to go on your much needed jollies but better safe than sorry and there will be other times.  Am glad am such a slacker when it comes to organising things so not much organised that needs cancelling this year.

I must say, despite the derision I direct at them I am impressed by the southerners, had 2 cards through the door from lovely neighbours offering help - it touched and melted my steely northern heart!

Went out for a lovely walk on Monday in the woods near me, it was sunny (wouldn't usually like this but after so much rain I'll let the sun god off), the birds were singing and the flora was budding and blossoming all over...it was lovely, as I am moving very slowly anyway and wanted to take it all in and generally walk around looking at trees etc I think it took me 2 hrs to do 2 miles!  Just as well they're delaying Olympic training...But as you say by gosh it was still muddy, saw one woman in white trainers ankle deep in mud, couldn't help but laugh at her, luckily she found it equally amusing.

I do hope that cancer check-ups aren't affected, I read that they have/are ring fencing cancer treatment so hope this included within that definition. In the same vein hope my rads aren't affected...we'll see eh?  From other forums am on they are cancelling all reconstructions and the poor women who were expecting immediate reconstruction will be going home flat...not good but understandable from the NHS point of view.

Christine

Gosh, yes it is exceedingly odd under arm, to elbow and on the back too...I hate this numbing feeling the most I think, even more than any pain.  I think the exercises are getting easier but think the advanced lot which will start Fri will be quite a challenge - and involve EVEN more swearing (I do wonder what my neighbours think).

Fingers crossed re no cancellations for you too.  Why do they need to ultrasound the seroma pre drain?  What on earth could be lurking in there? 

Ha!  Love families and their ability to underestimate us.  My boyfriend generally treats me like I m an idiot when it comes to things like using sharp knives (what you mean I'm not supposed to drive the sharp end into my hand?) so am immune but it does make me want to run the gauntlet even more..ha!  But like you say I feel like I've been self isolating anyway with all that's been going on so no real change here, other than using newspaper to wipe my bum...

And like you I love seeing other people and am a very social person (my friends may disagree) but am more than happy being alone and do wonder where all the days go as am very busy from getting up at 8 to falling asleep on the sofa at 10!  And seem to achieve very little in between but am never bored...how will I ever manage to squeeze 7 hrs work in?  Ha!  And I still haven't made a dint in all the rubbish I recorded to watch at this time nor read any of the piles of books that I have...maybe even I didn't write such long mails that might help???

Sorry about Andre...'tis a pants impact of this stupid thing....but not the worst eh?

And the lady has eyes!  YAY!  Well done - now please start on the cure for cv.

And good news from me I got the nod from the insurance company so do not have to resort to selling my organs on the dark web...happy and financially good times!

Have fun wherever you are 

Sam X

Hi girls,

Due to my condition of being an ancient person, I am confined to barracks, my neighbour and I stood chatting on the street corner about three feet apart where our lane meets the main road and someone pipped us in a car! As she is ten years older than me and registered blind she hasn't been anywhere but her home and neither have I so we thought we were pretty safe.

The painting is finished and is just drying now before I frame it. I sent a photo of the finished work to the recipient and she loves it! Phew! Relief! I didn't realise how stressful it would be to paint for someone else.

Sam, the swelling in my pseudo-boob, ( my sister's name for it, sounds better than non boob) is part seroma and part lymphoedema- the specialist nurse explained it to me as the seroma is a puddle of fluid surrounded by pockets of sodden sponge, (the lymphoedema) but the only way to distinguish what's what is to scan it and use the ultrasound to guide the needle to the puddles not the pockets. The puddles can then be drained, and later, CV permitting, the lymphoedema will be treated to laser therapy. As none of this is essential, just annoying, I suspect it will go the way of elective surgery. 

I know exactly how you feel about finding out about the lymph nodes that were removed.  You are torn between not wanting any evidence of more cancer and wanting your surgery to have been necessary. If you remember I was in a right strop when mine turned out to be clear.  As my daughter put it, I was behaving like a two year old having a tantrum!

I was very lucky having the district nurse coming to see to my drain, and even removing the first one,

Cx